Spain: Organised group that stole citrus fruits on request in Malaga dismantled

An organised group dedicated to the theft of fruits on request in the Malaga region of Guadalhorce has been dismantled by the Civil Guard. The operation concluded with six people arrested and another thirteen under investigation, as well as 870 kilograms of fruit seized, mostly citrus fruits.

The investigation started last May following complaints from owners of farms in the towns of Alhaurin de la Torre, Alhaurin el Grande, Cártama, Coín, Álora and Pizarra, who denounced theft in their plots, as reported last Thursday by the Civil Guard in a statement.

The members of the organised group acted on request and carried out the thefts at night, without any light and taking all kinds of security measures to avoid being caught.

They usually used two or more vehicles, which were parked far from the farms and left at different times, sharing the cargo in order to avoid being located and ensure they always had goods to sell illegally in street markets or fruit stores, whose owners stayed in touch with members of the organization.

Six people have been arrested and another 13 are under investigation, accused of several crimes of theft and robbery. Moreover, 750 kilos of citrus, 50 kilos of avocados and 70 kilos of French melons have been seized.

Another three people arrested for the theft of 400 kilos of almonds in AlmeriaThe Civil Guard has also arrested three residents of Baza, Granada, for the theft of 750 kilos of almonds on a farm in Chirivel, Almeria, and another four people residing in Pozo Alcón, Jaén, are under investigation for the theft of 350 kilos in another farm in Oria, Almeria.

The Command in Almeria has reported in a statement that both thefts took place during the product's harvesting period, and that the alleged perpetrators took advantage of the fact that the almonds had not yet been harvested in order to steal them.